There’s a lot of discussion and speculation about the reality portrayed in Reality TV. This week I asked long-time colleague Rory Lapointe Smith to join the show to shed some light on the matter. Rory is a Story Producer who’s worked on shows ranging from medical documentary to celebrity to competition to docu-soap. He’s currently working on the MSNBC staple show “Lock Up” about the world of prisons.

Rory has climbed the ranks to Story Producer from working as a logger and story assistant. He’s worked every facet of Story Departments and is an expert on how to build narrative in the unscripted genre. This interview is a nuts-and-bolts look at the Story Producing craft and also examines the impact of Reality TV has had on our entertainment landscape: